Business English Business English WritingWriting

陈 习 东

Lesson OneLesson One

Elements of a Good Business Letter

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I. What is a business letter I. What is a business letter for?for? for a specific purpose. e.g. sales letter request letter response letter etc.

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That means the functions of BL That means the functions of BL are are

1. To influence reader’s attitudes & actions

2. To inform

3. To entertain the readers

In all, the functions of BLs are to keep business going smoothly,efficiently, productively.

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Principles of a Good BLPrinciples of a Good BL

Five C’s

1. Clarity

2. Conciseness

3. Courtesy

4. Completeness

5. Correctness

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What is ClarityWhat is Clarity

What you say should be clear & easily understood.

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What is ConcisenessWhat is Conciseness

The words you write should give only the information that is necessary & important, using few words.

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What is CourtesyWhat is Courtesy

The way you write should be polite. You should post your letter on/ in time.

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What is CompletenessWhat is Completeness

Your letter should provide all the information & data necessary for what you talk about.

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What is CorrectnessWhat is Correctness

There should not be any mistake in your letter. Neither language nor data.

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The purpose of BL isThe purpose of BL is

To make a favorable impression on their customers;

To work in an efficient way.

II. The layout of a BLII. The layout of a BL

A letter should contains:

1. The heading,

2. The inside address,

3. The salutation,

4. The body,

5. The closing,

6. Signature.

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Heading Heading

1. Can be omitted in an informal letter

2. Should not be omitted in a formal letter Printed at the top of the stationary Consisted of the letterhead & date

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The Inside AddressThe Inside Address

The inside (the receiver’s) address is written at the left below the heading, including the name of the receiver, the address, the postal code,etc.

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The SalutationThe Salutation

Should be typed at the left below the inside address. They are:

Dear Mr./ Mrs./ Ms./ Miss/ Sir/ Madam, etc.

Dear Mr. +family nameDear +first name

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The body of the letterThe body of the letter

Principles:

1. Write clearly & to the point;

2. Be sincere, polite & thoughtful;

3. Use an appropriate tone & style;

4. Write naturally & avoid jargons;

5. Make sure you make no grammatical mistakes

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Function of the Paragraphs Function of the Paragraphs

Paragraph 1:To review the previous topicTo introduce the topic you’re going to deal

withTo make some relationship with the reader

you want to

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Paragraph 2( or more than one paragraphs)To provide the information you want to deal

with or the reader needs to know---- it is the most important section of the BL.

At the end of this section the writer should give a statement that the reader should take an action or the writer may take.

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The End of the BodyThe End of the Body

Best WishesGood LuckThank you for your cooperationWe look forward to hearing from youetc.

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The Complementary ClosingThe Complementary Closing

It should agree in tone with the salutation.See page 11.

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Signature Signature

It should be in full & intelligible script.It is followed by the typed name & job title.

e.g.See page 11-12

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Special NotationsSpecial Notations

Kinds of it

1. Reference initials;

2. Enclosure notations;

3. Carbon copy notations;

4. Mailing & classification notations;

5. postscripts

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The Reference InitialsThe Reference Initials

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The Enclosure NotationThe Enclosure Notation

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The Carbon Copy NotationThe Carbon Copy Notation

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The Mailing & Classification The Mailing & Classification NotationNotation

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The PostscriptThe Postscript

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III. Addressing The EnvelopeIII. Addressing The Envelope

1. At the Left Top: The Writer’s Information

2. In the Center: The Receiver’s Information

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VI. Telefax & E-mailVI. Telefax & E-mail

1. Telefax

2. E-mail